Laid Off at 50 – How to Beat the Nightmare Scenario

Typical nightmares use to include showing up for work in your underwear or ghosts in your home. At the very worse a nightmare may have been the death of a close family member or a home burglar. However, this is no longer the stuff that nightmares are made of, as many people are now finding their restless nights caused by the frighteningly real nightmare of getting laid off at fifty with no pension or retirement funds.

Unfortunately, for a large amount of Americans this is not a nightmare, because companies are finding themselves forced with bankruptcy and employees who thought their futures are safe are finding themselves jobless, pension-less, and with nowhere to turn for help. So how can you beat this nightmare scenario that happens so close to retirement, but yet far from the end of your life? Well, the first step is by taking your investments into your own hands and finding a company you can trust.

It used to be that if a corporation had a large name your investments and future were most likely safe, but it seems even the largest corporations are taking a hit forced to lean on federal bailout money for aid. A large portion of the cause is because these large corporations all followed the same investment principles which have now backfired and left most of them penniless or severely in debt. Thus, step one is to make sure that your funds are not being invested by a company with the same methods.

Today’s stock market is a lot rockier than the past, but when used correctly it can still be a wonderful way to build an investment or build savings for the future. The trick, however, is learning how to balance your retirement investments so that you have a safety net and room to maximize your returns. Learning how to invest with calculated risks is the first step in combining safety and risk.

Every time you contribute money to an investment fund you should know that a margin of your investment is guaranteed. In other words, if you contribute $ 100 a month you should make sure that at least half of that money is safe at all costs, even if this means that you will not see a very sizable profit from it. This way you know that when it comes time to retire you will have a suitable amount of money, even if the figure is not what you envisioned.

This also takes away the nightmares of losing it all, because if you guarantee a portion of your investment you will never have to fear losing it all. With the remaining amount of your investment you can then focus on taking larger calculated risks that have huger pay-offs. A good financial advisor can help guide you through your best choices and help you understand how much you are wagering. This way you will always have funds, with the potential to earn more as the years pass without any attached fear.